A systematic review of gender mainstreaming and representation in the African media landscape

Abstract

The strategy of gender mainstreaming is upheld to challenge androcentric policy norms and tackle gender inequality in society through the modification of inequitable gender roles and behaviours. Likewise, disparaging studies of media representations of women have been conducted. Even while there has been considerable research interest in these topics, studies that thoroughly assess gender mainstreaming and representation in the media, especially in the African context appear to be few. This research aims to close that gap. After a thorough literature search, 11 scholarly papers, mostly journal articles were found. Through content analysis, these publications were thoroughly analysed to determine research gaps and areas of interest. While research on gender mainstreaming and representation in African media is still in its infancy, the review reveals that there has been slow but steady progress in the last six years. The findings also suggest that this trajectory will likely grow even more in the next five years, partly because more of these kinds of articles are needed if gender issues are to be effectively addressed in the media. The results also showed that because things have been unjust for a very long period, most research has concentrated on establishing equal opportunities and representation for all genders.